January 24 Thursday – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. the back of a chair gave way with Sam in it. He fell backward striking his head, his feet in the air, his chin crushing his chest. He was not injured, though he wrote he couldn’t do that again without breaking his neck [Jan. 26 to Jean].  

Isabel Lyon’s journal: W.W. Denslow came at 5 to talk about that island of his in Bermuda but it seems that he will want it in August & if the King goes to Bermuda he will want to stay until October anyway. The King had wanted Denslow to come for luncheon. Luck prevented my reaching him by telephone to give him the invitation, & now the King tells me that Denslow is coarse & vulgar. I suspected it by his voice when he telephoned me this morning. In fact I fancied perhaps he was a little drunk—but I imagine it was just Denslow. The King sat in an ordinary straight backed chair while they were talking in the billiard room & in his interest of the subject he threw himself back in the chair. There was a crack and a crash; the chair-back split off & the King fell over backward striking his head on the floor. He told me that he had his “prayer” all ready & got it out before he touched the floor, fearing he’d land in Eternity first. He knocked the billiard balls around while he talked to me, in a soft light, & made wonderful shots [TS 21-22].

William J.C. Dulany, Booksellers and Stationers, Baltimore, Md. wrote to ask Sam who the publisher was for his “little booklet entitled ‘King Leopold’s Soliloquy’” [MTP].

Arda Bates Rorison wrote to invite Sam to the opening performance of Jeanne d’Arc Jan. 29; they could call for him at 7 pm [MTP].